Queen Ruby
by PaladinShane
Summary: Team RWBY is tasked with investigating oddly familiar ruins. What happens when somebody couldn't help but take back a souvenir? Sometimes it would've been better to have left well enough alone. (RWBY post-season 1, Pre-season 2)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Strange New Lands**

_Ladies and Gentlemen, This story is my second and has now begun. I hope you enjoy, review, favorite, follow and all that jazz. _

_NOTE: This takes place after the finale. _

* * *

Three days. Team RWBY had been at sea for three days. In that three days, they had learned the true meaning of the word boredom. A repurposed fishing vessel was taking them from their Beacon home to their island destination off the western coast. Blake wouldn't have been so distraught about the whole situation if she hadn't been deathly sea-sick for the first two days, only to spend the third eating and drinking feverishly to recover all the fluids and foods she had lost.

Wiess conversely had experience on boats, Yachts to be exact. That experience granted her immunity from the seasickness that Blake was enduring, all thanks to her family's wealth. She was proud to be a Schnee, although she didn't want that to intimidate people. She'd rather them just be intimidated by her BEFORE they knew who she really was. Anyway, she didn't mention her boat experience to her teammates as she knew mentioning it would only invoke comments from Yang.

Speaking of the blonde, her addiction to action and violence caused this boat trip to prove unbearable. "Blllaaaakeeee, I'm booooorrrrreeeeed!" Yang whined to her fanus teammate.

"Herraghhhh..." Blake vomited over the railing in response.

"How can you like tuna so much if you hate the ocean?" Yang joked picking up a nearby half-eaten tuna sandwich.

"Yang..."

"Yeeeees~?"

"Kill... me..."

Yang wrapped the seasick girl in a bear hug from behind, "I can't kill you! I love you tooooo~ much!" Yang would've hugged her longer if she hadn't felt the churning within the other girl's stomach causing her to relinquish her iron-clad grip so that the Onyx haired young woman to evacuate more substance she didn't seem to have. "Can I get you anything?" Yang asked in the same motherly tone she used on Ruby when they were younger.

"Yang, let me throw up in peace please." Blake pleaded, drooping over the railing.

Yang frowned, then sighed, "Alright, if you need anything, just holler."

Last but not least, Ruby herself. She was taking the boredom unusually well. Blake had brought a number of books with her to entertain herself. Unfortunately, she hadn't anticipated the crippling seasickness that had severely cut into her reading time. To this end, Ruby picked up the slack and spent many of her hours reading. When she wasn't reading, she would go on-deck and scan the horizon with her telescope. Nobody knew that she owned a telescope, or where she got it. Either way, she had it and were always crestfallen whenever she announced that she saw "No land ho." Accompanied by a puppy dog-eyed frown and sigh.

This was until the third day of course. Ruby roused in her bunk first, followed almost immediately by Wiess who restrained her teammate from using the dreaded silver whistle that she used to wake her teammates in subsititute of an alarm clock. Snatching the shiny noisemaker, she glared at her leader before softening her gaze and whispering, "Look at her." She requested, smoothly extending her hand toward the sleeping fanus, "She's going to be seasick all day again today. Give her some more time to sleep."

Ruby was plesently shocked at Wiess's outburst of compassion. Rewarding her teammate with an expectable hug. "Aww, Wiess! That's so nice of you!" Ruby quietly squealed.

"Let go of me you dunce!" Wiess hissed at the younger girl.

"That's not very Niess of you, Wiess." Yang suddenly spoke up from her bunk.

Wiess's eye twitched, "It's almost as if she can hear pun oppertunities in her sleep." The white pajama'd girl grimaced.

"You know it princess!" Yang quietly agreed while emerging from beneath the covers, "I gotta go make breakfast." Yang blundered ou of the room, trying her best not to make too much noise as she attempted to accustom to the swaying of the boat.

Ruby and Wiess nodded to one another, narrowing their eyes, they commenced in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide who got first dibs on the shower. Wiess normally didn't condone childish games to solve matters, but as she spent more time around her teammates, she adjusted to the system. She adapted faster thanks to Ruby's unconcious habit to always play scissors. This befuttled the young leader, she couldn't figure out for the life of her how Wiess managed to beat her so often.

While Wiess and Ruby showered, Yang made breakfast. Slowly, the smell and sound of pancakes filled the lower deck. Ruby's older sister had become quite the chef over the years. Though she couldn't flip a pancake without risking it's immediate obliteration against the floor. But she was capable enough to make pancakes without incinerating or wasting any.

The White-Rose duo followed the delectible scent of pancakes to the kitchen/dining area. Before them was a lovingly assembled spread of high-stacked pancakes, butter, and maple syrup. Yang stood proudly satisfied with her work. Ruby's mouth watered, they had had pancakes for the past two days, but she could never tire of the buttery lumps of dough. Not that it mattered much anyway, there wasn't much else they could have instead.

Yang, Ruby and Wiess sat around the simple wooden table built into the floor. Yang scooped up her fork and sliced into her stack of pancakes, popping a portion fluffy breakfast into her mouth not a moment later. Ruby innocently looked at her sister, "Shouldn't we wait for Blake?"

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Just as Yang swallowed and opened her mouth to respond, Blake materialized in the doorway. "Mornin' Blakey!" Yang greeted, not wanting to waste the motion of opening her mouth.

"Good morning Yang." Blake cordially returned the greeting.

"Feelin' better?" Yang pondered watching her girlfriend lift her fork. Blake said nothing, instead holding up one finger to silently request Yang pause for a moment. Yang did pause, looking to her sister who shrugged in response. She then looked to Wiess who just held her gaze for a few seconds to capitalize on her lack of knowlage without saying so. "So Blake-" Yang looked up.

Blake sat there completely calm and ready to answer whatever question Yang had for her. But Yang's voice failed her. She was too shocked to see, or rather not see the stack of pancakes that had been laid before moments ago. Ruby and Wiess shared her confusion but didn't do so as dramatically. Yang eventually had her mouth forcibly closed by Wiess's left hand. Blake smiled, "To answer your question from earlier, I am feeling much better. Thank you for your concern." Blake stood, finished her glass of milk and headed above deck.

"FOR SCIENCE!" Ruby battle-cried raising her fork above her head before cramming as many pancakes in her mouth as possible and grinding them into oblivion.

"Slow down you dunce!" Wiess ordered, tearing the fork from Ruby's hand.

"Wieeeesssssss!" Ruby whined watching the Heiress consume her serving of pancakes at a much slower pace.

"You can have your fork back after you've proven you can eat like a civilized human being."

"Wieeess"

Yang watched the debacle, this seemed to take her mind off Blake's inhuman eating abilites. Soon, she was able to eat a her normal rate, feverishly.

With enough pouting, anything was possible. Which is how Ruby got her fork back, but under her teammate's watchful eye she was unable to finish her science experement.

After RWY finished eating, they followed in Blake's footsteps and assembled above deck. They saw her leaning back-against the railing, gazing up at the bridge. "What are you doing?" Wiess asked bluntly.

Blake continued to intently at the bridge, wearing a frown of mild caution. "Who exactly is driving this boat?"

"The Captain!" Ruby immediately responded without thinking.

"And who IS the captain?"

Ruby smiled, "He's a really nice guy, but he looks a little scary. He's got some stubble, thin, short and blonde hair. And he's really tall with a bunch of tatoos."

"Do you know his name?" Blake pressed with growing concern while Wiess's hand moved to hold her shamefully slumping head.

Ruby read her worried teammate's expressions, "Don't worry guys! He told me to call him skipper and he gave me this hat!" Ruby then pulled a novelty pirate hat out of thin air. She proudly donned the large black hat adorned with skull and crossbones.

"You dunce! For all we know, we have been going the wrong way for the past three days!" Wiess loudly vocalized everyones thoughts.

"Wiess, calm down. He seems trustworthy and do you really think he'd take three huntresses-"

"-in training." Blake quickly added.

" -to the wrong place?" Ruby finished confidently.

Wiess frowned while Yang stood by her sister, "Yeah princess, you worry too much! Besides, there's four of us! We could take him no problem." Yang elaborated, cracking her knuckles and smiling devilishly. "It reminds me of this one time..." Yang rambled on about one of her many fight stories, she didn't seem to notice that no one was listening.

While she yammered on, her teammates assumed their own tasks, not walking too far as to avoid offending the impulsive blonde. Blake took the opportunity to read. Meanwhile Wiess rubbed her temples, considering briefly disappearing below deck to grab Myrtenaster and put them all out of their misery. Ruby, while still wearing the ridiculous pirate hat, scanned the horizon with her spyglass.

"So this one guy come up to me. But before he can do anything, I step up and I punched him-"

"Yang Xiao-Long, if you say TWiess, I WILL have to kill you." Wiess threatened at the end of her rope.

"Oh princess, you know me so well." Yang walked toward the girl with arms outstretched.

The Heiress's face was caked with horror, "You s-stay away from me! Yang! YANG!" She stumbled back occasionally looking over her shoulder to ensure that she wouldn't trip over anything.

Yang's pace quickened, Wiess turned to flee. "Ooooh no you don't!" Yang suddenly dashed forward and wrapped her arms around the terrified Schnee. Once encased in Yang's grasp, Wiess was lifted off her feet and squeezed.

"Let go of me you oaf!" Wiess shrieked as Yang smooshed the powerless girl.

"Let her go Yang." Blake requested timidly as her reading was interrupted by tortured squeals.

"LET GO OF ME!"

"Nooope~"

"Yang..."

"Guys-"

"Wiessy cares!"

"YOU BRUTE!"

"Honestly Yang-."

"Guys!"

"Can't...Breathe..."

"See! She's settling down!"

"She can't breath Yang!"

"YOU GUYS!" Ruby shouted and blew the silver whistle that Wiess had returned to her.

Yang dropped Wiess and looked at her sister. Blake covered her additional set of ears to block out the shrill sound of the whistle, then set her gaze on her normally benevolent leader. Wiess regained her breath, stood up, glared at Yang for a moment, and too eyed Ruby. "What?" Yang asked.

"Laaaaand hooooooooooo!" Ruby cheered pointing at the horizon. If you looked carefully, you could see a shapely mass in the distance.

"More like, 'Land, hoes!' Amirite?" Yang pointed at the four girls on deck. She was rewarded for this pun by a book thrown at her face. Her grin so wide, her eyes closed and kept her from seeing the flying hardcover.

"I don't understand what gardening equipment has to do with any of this..." Ruby confusedly wondered at Yang's pun.

"Don't worry about it Ruby." Blake and Wiess comforted their leader to keep her innocence alive.

Ruby shrugged while Blake assisted the dazed Yang with getting up off the floor. Wiess stood next to Ruby and peered into the distance. They drew closer to the island, a small beach lay before a hill which held a great deal of trees. "If you guys are done fighting, listen up!"

The four girls looked to the bridge, the captain was leaning out one of the windows. His face was coated with stubble but a neat grayish-brown mustache adorned his upper-lip. His features were gruff and firm but his eyes kind and his hair thin, trimmed and blonde. "Professor Ozpin told me, to tell you, that you've got until six to check out whateva' ruins are on this island. You can take the dinghy, unless you prefer to swim. Just bring it back in one piece! You break it, you buy it!"

"Thank you!" Ruby waved while he closed the window.

"Why haven't we seen him once all the way here?" Wiess asked feeling frustrated that she didn't know the answer.

"Oh! The bridge is totally decked out! It's got a little stove, bed, fridge, toilet, everything!" Ruby elatedly informed, excited that she for once was the one tutoring Wiess.

"It is strange for the bridge of a ship to also serve as the captain's quarters." Blake commented, still looking at the bridge.

"You know what's also strange? Having a book thrown at your face for making a joke!" Yang frowned.

"Guys! Now's not the time, we've got a job to do!" Ruby dutifully cut in, walking over to the dinghy. Wiess followed suit, shortly thereafter, so did Blake and Yang. Lowering the boat into the water, the four set off on phase two of their quest. With Yang at the helm and Ruby poised at the bow, they sped off toward the island.

Arriving on the narrow beach, Yang dragged the boat ashore to keep it from drifting away. "Wait! What about are weapons? This island could be crawling with grimm!" Yang came to this realization a little late.

"No need to worry, I took the responsibility of assembling our weapons while you two played around on the deck." Wiess revealed a black footlocker aboard the dinghy, popping it open to reveal Myrtenaster, Grambol Shroud, Ember Cilica, and Crescent Rose.

"Ooh my beloved..." Ruby embraced her weapon in that mildly creepy manner that caused her teammates to take a half step back. "Thanks Wiess! You're the best teammate ever!"

"Nice thinkin' princess."

"Very thoughtful Wiess, thank you."

Wiess basked in their complements and gave a marginal smile. Grabbing Myrtenaster, she and her team ventured up the hill and into the forest. Yang looked in all directions, whenever she heard a noise, her head would jerk in that direction. Blake looked to the brawler, "Calm down Yang, it's just wildlife." Blake placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

"But I want it to be Grimm!" Yang pouted, stomping her foot.

"For what?" Wiess snorted at the bruiser.

"I've been at sea for three days! THREE DAYS! Without punching so much as a punching bag! I need action before I succumb to the madness!" She dramatically coughed and collapsed against a tree.

"Yaaaangg." Ruby sighed at her older sibling.

Yang laughed and stood. She stretched, and careened her head toward a new sound from the woods.

_BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG_

"Was it a Grimm?" Yang riddled her fanus partner with smoking gauntlets.

"It was a squirrel." Her ears flicked a few times, "and you missed."

"FUCK!"

They continued walking, "So are we still going the right way Wiess?" Ruby questioned her partner.

Wiess opened her scroll, "The imagery from the plane suggested we would hand about halfway up the western coast. The ruins we're going to are in the middle, near the southern coast."

"So why didn't we just get dropped of there?" Yang curiously added.

Blake looked over Wiess's shoulder at the satellite map. "It appears the water was littered with underwater obstructions that would've sunk or damaged the dinghy."

"Oh."

They continued to walk, eventually coming to a large clearing with the remains of six buildings surrounding a large crater that appeared to have been filled in by stone from a monolithic structure that also once acted as one of the buildings.

"I guess we're here..."


	2. Chapter 2: Old and New Again

**Chapter 2: Old and New Again**

_Jumping between stories is hard. But it's so nice to see everyone commenting, liking, and favoriting. Every time I see a new comment I am always afraid of what it might be, until I read it and thank Walken that I have so many good-hearted readers. And for this I thank each and every one of you. Thank you all. _

* * *

The team of girls gazed out from the top of the hill into the clearing filled with the decrepit remains of six buildings. "What is this place?" Blake asked, observing the scenery. Two of the houses looked as though they had been made of dirt, stilts and rotting wood marked where one of the houses had stood, another house made of wood had partially collapsed and didn't look stable at all. The final two houses were made of stone. One sat in the corner practically untouched while the other was a monolithically enormous structure that appeared to have fallen apart over the years, leaving stone everywhere.

"How the hell did the wooden houses fall apart while the dirt ones remained pretty much intact?" Yang pondered with some degree of outrage toward the nonsensical constructions.

"That is exactly what we're gonna find out!" Ruby enthusiastically exclaimed, throwing her fist into the the air.

"Banzai!" Ruby, Blake, and Yang cheered in unison while Wiess face-palmed.

"I'm surrounded by idiots..." Wiess muttered, she composed herself then re-stated the mission objective, "Alright, Ozpin order us to explore the ruins and report back with our findings."

"Yes Wiess, we knoooow." Ruby slumped her shoulders as Wiess killed the buzz.

"Well, I'm not taking any chances! This is our first reconnaissance assignment and I want it to go perfectly."

Yang crossed her arms, "I thought Ruby was team leader." She accusingly glared at Wiess.

Wiess felt her cheeks grow hot, her take-charge manner was getting the better of her. As a result she had unknowingly undermined Ruby's authority as team leader. Even after all this time, she had trouble remembering she was not the leader. "It's alright Yang, Wiess is just trying to help is all." Ruby stepped in on the heiress's behalf. Wiess mentally thanked Ruby, keeping the peace was the job of a leader. That was one department that Wiess came short in.

"Alright team! Our goal is simple, look around, investigate the buildings, take notes and leave everything _exactly_ as we found it. Then we go home, tell Professor Ozpin all about it, then eat pancakes." Ruby quickly restated the goal of the operation.

"Sounds good to me. How should we divvy up the work?" Yang saught her sister's guidance.

"Good question, any thoughts Blake?" Ruby was more than capable of assigning duties but she felt that their fanus teammate's opinion had been neglected thus far.

Blake pondered the question for a moment, "Well... I believe we should avoid the wooden ruins. We have no idea how long these buildings have been around and I wouldn't feel safe walking on rotted floorboards."

"Right! That being said, I got dibs on the huge one made of stone!" Yang quickly added to her teammates evaluation.

Before anyone could say anything Wiess quickly expanded upon Yang's 'dibs' system, "I will take the other stone building."

After a brief pause Blake spoke up, "That only leaves the dirt huts. I suppose it doesn't matter which one I take, so i'll cover the one between the two stone buildings."

Ruby nodded and looked at the final house, "Well, I guess that one's mine. Alright team, move out!" Upon this order the team jumped off the hill and started into the ruins. Yang tried the easy path of walking across the stone slabs that jutted out in the middle of the ruins. This was, until she actually tried to walk on it. Upon taking her first step, the loose stone shifted, causing a chain reaction which caused all the other stones to shift as well.

"It's probably best if we don't walk on the middle!" Yang called out to her teammates.

"Duly noted!" Ruby called out to her sister as she pulled out a small notepad. "Do...Not...Walk...On...Middle."

Yang and her sister carefully skirted around the stone slabs which the houses surrounded while Blake and Wiess entered their respective houses.

Wiess entered the cobblestone house and was greeted by walls decorated with tasteless artwork. Much of the art was falling apart and unrecognizable. Inside she found a chest filled with a random hodgepodge of items and materials, most of which had decayed over the years and were near useless. "Whoever lived here was a strange individual indeed..." Wiess noted as she continued to inspect the house. Lastly, she found a bed. White sheets, red blanket, and pillow. "This is a lot like Ruby's bed." She observed aloud feeling the bed. "It is strangely well made, entirely out of wool." She dusted the floor with her foot and got onto her knees, checking beneath the bed. She saw something. Reaching out and withdrawing the item, she discovered it was a picture in a frame. "_Me and my... Micoo_?" She read the inscription on the frame before analyzing the photo itself. It was of two young men, One smiling widely and wearing a green hoodie while the other looked annoyed and wore a bear-skin suit of armor and overalls. The photo both comforted and confused Wiess, they dressed so differently and had two very different reactions to the photo. It reminded her of when Ruby had surprised her and taken that photo that she keeps on the dresser along with all the other team-photos. Wiess took some time to herself and sat on the bed, great waves of nostalgia washed over her as she remembered all the time that she had spent at Beacon with those three dolts who had evolved into her closest friends.

As Wiess reminisced, Blake set to work inspecting the partially destroyed dirt house next to hers. Inside, she found a cast iron cauldron, (which had tipped over) a human skull, broken glass, one bed, and a chest. The house was one-room and took no time to search. The decrepid artwork that covered the wall interested Blake, "What type of person would live in a place like this?" She asked herself aloud, rubbing her hand against the paintings. She looked at the floor, it was partially dirt, gravel and stone. Whoever had built this house hadn't taken any consideration toward the flooring or actual living conditions, yet it would seem that someone had lived here for some time. Eventually after thoroughly inspecting every inch of the dirt shack, Blake's attention went to the wooden box in the corner of the house. Flipping it open, she discovered it had been stuffed to the brim with roses. Oddly enough, over the years, the roses hadn't decayed. Instead, they radiated a dull warmth which spread from the tips of ones fingers to their chest, giving them a feeling of both pride and achievement. "Strange..." Blake rubbed the petals and stem of one of the roses. Although sharp, the thorns refused to penetrate Blakes skin. As if they're previous owner had taught them better.

"This place is boring!" Yang yelled across the gigantic hallway that had been the stone monolith. There was nothing in the structure, other than a bed at the other end. "Boring! Boring! Boring!" Yang continued to echo this statement for a few minutes.

While Yang vocalized her boredom, Ruby finally managed to enter the final house. "What is this place?" She couldn't help but ask upon seeing the strange interior of the building. Broken glass coated the floor, with a bed tucked away in the corner. All of this wasn't too strange except for the blood on the floor and the gaping iron hole in the middle of the house. She hugged the wall and avoided the blood and glass, eventually making her way over to the bed. 'It's just like mine!' She thought feeling the soft contours of the mattress, "It feels just like my bed at beacon!" She expressed her glee by collapsing onto the bed. Her hand moved beneath the pillow. She felt something there. Something made of paper. She withdrew the paper from beneath the pillow and read the writing on it aloud, "Team Nice Dynamite? The R and R connection? X-ray and Vav? Team OG? Plan G? The Gents and Lads?" Needless to say Ruby was very puzzled by the list of names. She placed the paper back where she found it and stood from the bed. What was more distressing was that all the names on the list had been crossed off. She checked the box opposite the bed and found nothing of interest. As she turned to leave the house, she couldn't help but shine her pocket-flashlight into the iron hole where the blood led. There was something that shone like gold at the bottom of the pit. The hole was only about four meters deep. Ruby bit her lip, her curiosity got the better of her. Unfolding Crescent Rose, she stuck the blade into the floor and lowered herself into the hole. The crunch of boots against broken glass marked her arrival on the iron floor. Turning on the flashlight once again, she aimed the beam of light to the floor. There sat a beautiful golden crown, decorated with a small ruby for every spine upon it. "Whooaaa." Ruby was taken aback by the golden kingship. She felt she could gaze at it all day, and just lose herself in the brilliant sheen of the precious stones.

"Ruuubyy! You comin'?" Yang's voice broke the trance that the crown had cast upon her.

She blinked upon hearing her sister's voice from outside. "Just a second!" She called back. She was a little sad, it seemed a shame to leave something so nice in a hole. It would also make a great present for Wiess's birthday. But, rules were rules. She climbed out of the hole and into the sunlight of the outdoors.

To the right of the stone monolith which Yang had inspected (and thoroughly complained about it being empty) was a small field. Blake, Wiess, and Yang had decided to await their fearless leader there. "Yang?" Blake spoke while walking toward her partner.

"Whats up?" Yang asked her partner with the usual helpful confidence which the team had come to expect from her. Blake didn't say a word, instead she walked closer to her partner and kept her hands behind her back. Before Yang could ask what she had, she activated her semblance and moved behind her at blinding speed. As she did, she threw a handful of roses into the air. Yang turned and to look at her partner and couldn't help but laugh. Blake stood behind her, pawing at the air like there was an invisible scratching post in front of her.

Wiess watched this debacle from a short distance away. It was unclear wether Blake was mocking Ruby or Wiess, or if she was mocking anyone at all. In Wiess's nostalgia-ridden state, she didn't even consider the possibility that it was mockery. Instead she simply looked on at the altered re-creation of the time Ruby and Wiess first partnered up. She couldn't lie, the way that Yang laughed and hugged Blake made her feed a tad guilty about how she had treated Ruby all those months ago. 'Perhaps if I hadn't been so... touchy, maybe Ruby and I could've seen eye-to-eye much better.' The serious and rational side of Wiess couldn't take anymore of it and broke through the wall of memories and reminiscence which had been built in Wiess's mind. With that, the glass broke in her mind. "Hold on, where did you get those roses?!" Wiess hardened and accusingly questioned her fanus teammate.

Blake was in a rare mood, she was almost down-right playful instead of her usual withdrawn and mysterious fashion. Even so, she could still hold her own against the well-versed heiress. "I found them in a chest in the dirt house." Blake responded honestly.

"We're not supposed to take anything from the houses!"

"Calm down Wiess-y, they're just roses!" Yang stepped in to defend her teammate. She picked up one of flowers and tossed it to the other girl. "Don't be so high-strung! We'll put em' back before we leave."

Wiess caught the flower and held it in her hand. She felt the dull warmth and thorns that refused to harm. "These aren't normal flowers. We need to put them back!"

"Hey guys! What's going on?" Ruby interjected cheerfully upon her arrival.

"Your bull-headed sister and her girlfriend took flowers from one of the houses!" Wiess instinctively ratted the two out to her leader.

Ruby gingerly took the rose from Wiess's hand. The feeling of pride and achievement crept over her. This may have impacted her response, "What's the big deal? They're just flowers, and we can always put them back. No harm, no foul." Wiess was annoyed at the lack of punishment but didn't speak. Team RWBY took the roses and placed them back into the box where Blake had found them.

Yang checked the time, "Well, I suppose we could always call it quits early." Yang suggested to Ruby as they left the dirt hut.

Ruby pondered this for a moment, "Alright, why not? Let's go!" They departed from the ruin site after taking a few pictures and marking the approximate location on the map. They walked single-file through the woods, with Blake and her superior hearing in the front and Ruby at the back.

"So... Anyone find anything cool?" Yang attempted to spark conversation amongst the team. "Because the place I checked had jack shit other than a bed."

"My house had poor artwork and a box filled with roses." Blake responded bluntly. Apperently Wiess's hostility regarding the roses had effectively killed her playful mood.

"The house I checked was covered in decayed artwork and broken glass. However, I did find a picture frame of two possible inhabitants of this little settlement." Wiess reported with astute knowledgeability.

"Cool! Did you take a picture of it?" Ruby chimed in curiously.

"Of course."

"You'll have to show us later." Blake said as they neared the cove where they had parked the boat.

A few moments passed in silence before Yang spoke up again, "So Ruby, did you find anything in your house?"

Ruby was like a deer in headlights, she was an awful liar, but you could only truly know if she was lying if you looked her dead in the eye. She was at the back of the pack, nobody turned to look at her. "N-no, Just a lot of broken glass is all."

"Lame!" Yang commented.

They arrived on the beach, loaded up on the dinghy, and shoved off to the re-purposed fishing boat. After bringing the boat onto the ship, they headed below deck to requisition some dinner. Although it wasn't quite dinner time, they decided to eat early before the ship began to move and perhaps bring back Blake's seasickness. Eating, washing, reading and examining Wiess's photo was all that happened that evening. There wasn't much to do on the ship other than that, so going to bed early was a common practice.

It was a mere **8:36** when team RWBY had decided to pack it in for the day. Wiess took the bottom bunk on the starboard side while Ruby slept above her. Blake and Yang cuddled together on the port side. Thankfully, Blake's seasickness didn't show signs of returning so Yang didn't see any harm in sharing a bed. Blake had no objections, she did secretly enjoy when Yang couldn't sleep and would decide to scratch her ears. After all, who doesn't like to cuddle?

For about an hour, it was peaceful. The girls slept, and everything was hunky-dory. The moon was full and illuminated the small room through a tiny window on the port side near a closet.

Ruby's eyes slowly opened, she didn't move at first. She just laid there and listened to her teammates. Blake was asleep, she could tell by the slight purring that could be heard if you listened close enough. Yang was certainly asleep, as she snored like a drunken lumberjack. Wiess however was the most difficult to discern wether or not she was asleep. She slept so soundly and made almost no noise. Ruby peeked over the side of her bed and saw the gentle rise and fall of her teammate's chest. 'The coast is clear.' She thought shifting out from underneath her blankets.

Ruby gently lowered herself onto the floor. Blake was a very light sleeper because of those cat-ears of hers, but over the time they had spent together, Ruby had become an expert at moving so that she couldn't be detected by the fanus. Swiftly and quietly, Ruby left the room and moved into the walk-in supply closet where they stored their gear and equipment. Closing the door behind her, she didn't dare turn on the over-head light, relying instead on the light granted by the moon. She opened the drawer which she used to store her cape and hood. Taking great care to minimize noise, she unfolded the hood of her cape and was greeted by a shining gold crown.

Some rules were ment to be broken apparently.


	3. Chapter 3: Return Trip

**Chapter 3: Return Trip**

_Ladies and gentlemen,__I finally got around to finish writing chapter 3. I hope you enjoy and that my schedule and laziness hasn't been too much of a let-down to anyone._

* * *

The following morning was pleasant. The sun shined through the tiny glass hole in the side of the hull to inform the team that it was nearing the time to wake up. That was until Yang rolled over and blotted out the sun. A welcome alternation, who doesn't like to sleep? Ruby, apparently. Unbeknownst to her sister, her unconscious action bought her tired sister time to creep back into the room and quietly vault herself into bed.

Ruby was dead tired, she hadn't slept at all last night. The hypnotic allure of the golden crown had kept her from leaving the closet in order to properly rest. She sighed contently, the sheets and mattress felt all the more comfortable with the added tiredness. If she had to, she could've slept in an Iron Maiden. An hours rest was all she was granted by the gods of fate. As the hour came to a close, the additional heat created by the rising sun began to uncomfortably warm Yang's back. With a groan and a half-conscious roll, she fell right out of her bed and smacked onto the floor with a dull _thud_. "Ow." Yang stated with halfhearted tiredness.

Yang stretched and shook her thick mane of hair. 'Wait, where's Blake?' Yang quickly realized that rolling out of bed should've caused her to steamroll her partner. Her question was quickly answered when she checked Blake's assigned bunk. There the fanus lay, her eyes cracked open when she felt Yang stoop to check on her. Upon seeing her eyes open slightly, Yang smiled and patted the other girls head, "Good kitty."

Blake rolled her eyes at Yang and pushed the other girl back by her forehead with two fingers. Yang got the message and took a step back to allow Blake to get up out of bed. She stood and patted Yang's cheek, "Good brute." To this, Yang furrowed her eyebrows together and crossed her eyes as if to look at them. Blake smiled and moved into the closet in order to change. Yang intended to follow her in, but Blake knew her all to well and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Aw come on Blakey! I need to change too!" Yang objected to Blake's closing the door.

"Yang, I value privacy. You can change when i'm done."

"Privacy? Blake please, i've already seen-" She was cut off by Blake exiting the closet fully dressed and hastily clasped a hand over Yang's big mouth.

"You may change." Blake then walked beyond her partner to enter the bathroom.

Her speed never ceased to amaze Yang. She obeyed Blake and entered the closet. Nice and neat, you could never tell that someone had spent the majority of last night in the closet. Yang opened her drawer and pulled out some of the remaining clean clothes that she had stuffed in when their journey had began. Dressing and leaving her clothes on the floor, Yang exited back into the hall. The boat was moving and Blake was showering. She walked into the RWBY quarters, where Weiss was sitting in her bed, feet touching the floor. "Good morning Princess." Yang greeted her newly conscious teammate.

Weiss originally wasn't a fan of being called princess. But over time, the annoying nickname didn't bother her so much. "Good morning Yang." Weiss politely returned Yang's greeting. She rose and turned to look into her partner's bed. There she slept peacefully, which Weiss found odd. She tilted her head, Ruby took leadership very seriously and to her those duties started with her being the first one up. Weiss was mildly concerned, concerned enough to voice this to Yang, "Has she been up yet?"

Yang scratched her head, "No, not yet."

Weiss examined Ruby for a second, nothing seemed wrong, so she shrugged it off as just an anomaly and set out for the closet to change. "Yang?" Yang stared at the heiress as she walked down the hall, "You better hope I don't find any of your clothes on the floor." Weiss warned the blonde as she neared the closet door.

Yang's error dawned on her as Weiss reached for the handle to the closet. Sprinting down the hallway, Yang slammed her hand against the door to stop it from opening. Wearing a big goofy smile, Yang asked, "What happens if you do find some of my clothes on the floor?"

Weiss was far from surprised, but answered calmly, "Then I will freeze you to your bed in the middle of the night and shave your head while you sleep."

As much as Yang knew that the odds of Weiss doing such a thing were long, she'd prefer not to risk it. "One sec." Yang slipped by Weiss and entered the closet. She swiftly swooped up the clothes on the floor and crammed them into her drawer. Then she fled the room and returned to the RWBY crew quarters.

Smiling with satisfaction, Weiss entered the room and began to change.

Yang entered the room once more, this time with her eyes on her sister. "Ruuuubyyy~" Yang hummed to her sleeping sister as she approached her bunk. "Ruuuuubyyyyyyy~" She rumbled again once she had closed the distance. No responce from the sleeping girl. Yang gently shook her sister, "Ruby, it's time to get up." Yang whispered to her sleeping sibling.

Ruby's eyes struggled open, "Hey Yang." Ruby weakly responed as she revealed her bloodshot eyes.

"You ok Rubes?" Yang asked giving a concerned look.

"I'm good, I just didn't sleep much last night."

Yang nodded and patted her sister's head. "I'll inform the troops and let you sleep."

"Thanks Yang." Ruby croaked as the closed her eyes again to seek the bliss of sleep.

'Mission accomplished.' Yang thought as she turned away from her sister.

After a short while, Blake finishes her shower. As she leaves the bathroom, Yang whispers in her human ears, informing her of their leader's status. She nods and heads above deck seeking a sunlit reading environment. While she does, Yang allows Weiss to have her turn showering. Mainly because Yang takes far more time in the shower than any of her teammates.

Once showers had been taken and people dressed, team WBY commenced the familiar routine of watching Yang make pancakes. Maybe not so much watch or even participate, more just knowing she was doing it. Blake was enjoying her day free of seasickness by reading while Weiss just stood gazing off the bow at the seemingly endless expanse of ocean before her.

Ruby on the other hand was quietly snoring in her bunk. She would unfortunately be quite tardy to the pancake party. For, as she continued to catch up on sleep, Yang finished cooking her tower of pancakes. Opening her mouth to announce the completion of her edible masterpiece, she stopped herself. Just down the hall was her sleep-deprived younger sister. She cared deeply for her and waking her up for something so trivial didn't seem right. With this in mind, she shut the doors in the hallway, climbed the stairs to the above-deck, stepped outside and shut the door behind her before howling, "FOOD'S DONE!" Then opening the very door she came out of and returning to the kitchen/dining room.

"She has absolutely no shame does she?" Weiss sarcastically critiqued, walking to the below-deck hatch.

"You're just figuring this out now?" Her fanus teammate prodded whilst opening the door for her teammate. Weiss didn't respond, but allowed herself a small smile as she stepped through the door.

In the dining area, Yang sat drowning a section of pancakes in maple syrup along with a hearty helping of butter. Weiss looked at the display with distain, "I will never understand how you can stomach eating something with so much sugar."

"I don't see how you can't, little Miss Pancake Purist." Yang replied watching Weiss procure her own helping of breakfast, which would remain "untainted" by syrup or any other form of condiment. "What do you think Blake?"

Blake was already finished eating.

"Blake! You animal!" Yang remarked as her partner ran water to wash her plate. Blake stared blankly at her partner and flicked her ears beneath her bow. "Sorry." Yang rebuked her outburst, shoving a forkful of cake into her mouth. The remainder of the meal was spent quietly talking about anything that popped to mind. Be that the return to Beacon, what to do once there, dust, the accomplished mission, or a myriad of other topics. Once Weiss and Yang had also finished, they moved above deck to bask in the partial sunlight.

Weiss sat close to the starboard side, quietly reading one of Blake's books. She would've preferred studying for classes, but her team demanded that she not. They seemed to believe that the trip there and back would be reserved for resting both body and mind. That, or they just didn't feel like studying outside of class. Which was far more likely.

Yang and Blake sat sharing two chairs on the port side. Blake leaned against Yang who leaned against the back of her chair. Blake read while Yang just stared at the clouds. "Soo Blake?"

"Yes Yang?"

"Why'd you leave the bed last night?"

Blake rolled her eyes and continued reading, "Your hair got into my mouth, I coughed myself awake. I went back to sleep, and it happened again, so I changed beds." Blake turned the page of her book, "That reminds me, when I got up to get into my bed, I didn't see Ruby in hers."

"How do you know she wasn't?" Yang asked, puzzled. Blake looked up at her partner with her golden catlike eyes, which held the clear message. "Oh right..." Yang played with Blake's bow, "kitty fanus."

With an exaspirated sigh, Blake continued to speak, "Either way, she wasn't there when I got up."

"Eh, She probably just used the bathroom or something." Yang continued to fiddle with the bow concealing Blake's ears and making airplane noises. The fanus bit her lip, she did secretly enjoy having Yang toy with her ears. However, at the same time she didn't know how the ship captain would react upon discovering one of his passengers was actually a fanus.

"Please let go of the bow." Blake requested, straining her focus on reading.

"But i'm boooorrrreeeed~" Yang whined while ignoring her request.

"Unfortunately Yang, we will be at sea for another few days. You'd do well to find something to keep you occupied."

Yang smiled devilishly, "Is that an invitation?"

Blake's fingers met the bridge between her golden eyes, "Confound it Yang." She then stood and sauntered off, seeking either a quieter place to read, or something else to do. '_That Bellabooty though..._' Yang drooled as she watched her teammate walk away.

At approximately **1:30**, Ruby Rose opened her eyes. Tired as she was, her internal clock was screaming at her to get up. As was her sweets-deprived stomach. Crawling out from beneath the covers, Ruby shakily struggled to her feet. Wrapping her blanket around her, she staggered down the hall and into the kitchen/dining area. She flicked on the light and was greeted by a small pile of cold pancakes. "Weiss?... Yang?... Blake?..." Ruby weakly called out. Her voice was too raspy and weak to actually penetrate the walls or doors that seperated her from her team in the outside world. After realizing this, she walked over to the sink, fetched a glass from one of the cupboards and proceeded to fill it. She used the first half to gargle and rinse her mouth, then spat the fluid into the sink. The second half she drank.

"Shoawer- ahem, shower time." She nodded satisfied with her mostly remedied raspy voice. RWBY's leader entered the bathroom, stripped, and showered. As the water ran down her body, she continued to test her voice by listing off random things she saw in the bathroom. "Loo-fa, ceal-ing, sham-poo, soap,..."

Once Ruby had finished showering, she dried off, and wrapped herself in a towel. Stepping out of the bathroom, she looked left and right to ensure there wasn't a soul around. Then, she crossed the hall and entered the clothing closet. Shutting the door and clicking the lock, Ruby opened the drawer which held her articles of clothing. Including the cloak which concealed her prize. 'Calm down Ruby, just dress. Don't even look at it.' Ruby dressed, saving her cloak for last. Something gnawed inside her, deperately wanting to see the jewel incrusted masterpiece. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Immediately after exhaling, she unfolded the cloak, picked up the crown and tucked it behind her other sets of clothes then withdrew her cloak and closed the drawer. All without opening her eyes.

'Maybe taking that crown was a bad idea...' Ruby thought as she walked down the hall and into the kitchen once more. 'I did break a rule...' She thought putting the small stack of pancakes into the microwave and re-heating them. 'Well, there's nothing I can do about it now.' Ruby concluded as she dressed and ate her meal.

"I hate this game!" Yang shouted, tossing down her cards onto the cribbage table. Weiss satisfactorily basked in the brawler's defeat.

"Calm down Yang, it's just a game." Blake soothed from her closeby reading chair.

"She's beaten me five times! FIVE TIMES! Next thing I know i'll be taken out by a lone beowolf!" Yang ranted looking to the sky for answers. Where she found none.

"You should practice more often Yang." Weiss smugly sneered at her seething teammate.

"This game is rigged!" Yang proclaimed getting out of her chair as she began to smoulder.

"What game is rigged?" Ruby inquired as she approached the group.

"Ruby!" Yang noted her sister with suprised glee and ceased smouldering.

"Good afternoon Ruby." Blake and Weiss greeted.

Ruby would've responded if she hadn't been cut off by a loving sisterly bearhug. "How're you feeling baby sis?" Yang asked as she whisked her sister off her feet.

"C-cant... b-br-breaaath..." Ruby choked out in response.

"That's normal." Blake informed her leader as she was continually deprived of air. Shortly thereafter Yang relinquished her hold on Ruby who took the freedom as an opportune time to breath.

"Yang you oaf! She's just gotten up, I highly doubt the best thing to do is smother her." Weiss quickly reprimanded her teammate for choking their leader.

Yang shrugged and allowed Ruby to collapse into her chair. Once she fully regained her breath she observed the board on the table and scattered cards, "Cribbage?" She deduced questioningly.

"Yes, Ruby. Yang and I just finished five games." Weiss answered nonchalantly inspecting her nails.

"All of which you cheated!" Yang quickly objected.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Would you like to play?" She considerately asked, masking her internal lust for an easy victory.

"Sure! Sounds fun!"

"No Ruby! Don't give into the cheeeaaaatss!"

"Quiet down Brute."

Needless to say, Ruby lost the first game. Call it beginner's luck, or just stick-to-it-ive-ness, but her dedication bought her victory in the second game. Yang was dumbstruck.

"Yay! I won!" Ruby threw her hands into the air wearing a dumb victory grin.

"Good game Ruby." Weiss congratulated with an eye twitch that easily exposed her underlying outrage. 'Where did I go wrong?' Weiss asked herself as she stared at the board and cards.

Yang's face quickly morphed from disgusted curiosity, to incoming dumb pun. "I can't believe this!" She picked up the cribbage board. "Wi-ess, life so cruel? This is a BOARDerline-" She points at Blake, "-Cat-tastrophy! I mean I used to look at the world through-" Shifts her finger to Ruby, "-ROSE colored glasses. But now i'm just YANGry!"

Eyes twitched, hands met faces, and Yang's laugh could be heard for miles.


	4. Chapter 4: Home Again

**Chapter 4: Home Again**

* * *

"Land Hoes!" Yang cheered off the bow to her team, pointing toward the jagged mass in the distance.

The remainder of the trip was smooth sailing. Ruby was able to control her nightly urges to gander at the golden crown which still remained hidden in one of her red cloaks. Thankfully she always made certain to keep a few in reserve just in case. Blake's seasickness was fortunately inattentive. Thus making her trip from the island far more enjoyable than the one to.

"At long last, perhaps I can get an expresso and inform Ozpin of our success." Weiss planned out her objectives upon nearing the docks of Vale. Coffee and baked goods seemed agreeably comforting to the majority of the team.

"Screw that! I'm heading straight back to Beacon, i've got some pent up aggression to work out." Yang proclaimed cracking her knuckles. It would seem that the lack of fighting was getting to the compulsive fighter.

"Yeah, on other people." Ruby giggled, popping up adjacent to her sister.

"You know me so well."

"I hate to put a damper on things, but we still need to get all our stuff off the ship." The shadowy faunus injected with knowledgeable prioritization.

The ocean between the boat and land began to close quickly. "That's fine, we'll just get back to Beacon, unpack, and go back to Vale when we finish." The team's leader compromised, attempting to suit the needs of both her sister and her subordinates. Some people however, you just can't please.

"That seems woefully inefficient." Weiss huffed upon discovering that she may have to wait for expertly-crafted caffeinated bliss.

"What's the big deal princess? It's not like _we_ pay for the fuel that goes into the shuttle." Yang chuckled at the shorter girl's petty objection. Yang stepped closer to the other girl. "Besides, d'you have a better idea?"

Weiss glared up at the human space-heater, "Perhaps if you weren't so eager to get back to Beacon, we might be able to get done what we need to in a more timely fashion."

"Hold on, the only reason you're whining is because you might have to wait to get your stupid coffee!"

"And none of us would have to wait if you would stop being so difficult!"

"_I'M_ being difficult?!"

The cold flames of team freezer-burn ignited. Ruby and Blake could do nothing but watch helplessly as the two girls argued. Yang heated up as the argument continued. Contrarily, rather than heat up, the temperature of the air around Weiss began to drop. Should they have been terrain rather than people, the space between them would've been swampy.

"How about this, go buy your coffee. Then, when it's nice and full, why don't you bend over and-"

This seemed like the best time to appropriate yelling, "GIRLS!" The shock and surprise of Ruby yelling stopped any infighting between the group before it happened. None was more surprised than Blake. It would seem that even after their whole debacle which pre-empted RWY discovering her secret, her second set of far more sound-sensitive ears hadn't become forthright when anyone decided to start yelling. "I have an idea; why don't we go to the coffee shop and bring all of our stuff with us?"

The heat and cold had not yet faded before Weiss spoke again, "How _exactly_ are we supposed to do that?"

* * *

Dean enjoyed working at _The Brown Bean. _It didn't pay extremely well, but many in Vale knew that this tiny store had the best coffee in Vale. Some went so far as to say it was the best on the planet. To this end, you never knew who might walk through the door. Be it just a part-time student worker, or the illustrious heiress of Schnee Dust. The latter made it known to the employees not only who she was, but her opinion on the shop itself. Which thankfully was quite good.

"Dean, a costumer just spilled coffee in front of the register."

It would seem that unfortunately for Dean, his break was being cut short today. So, at his manager's request, he extinguished the cigarette he'd been smoking and re-entered the small shop from the alley behind it. With due half-assedness Dean sighed and rolled the mop bucket out from behind the counter. No matter how good your job was, there's always something you dislike about it. For Dean; it was mopping the floor. When he had reached the location where the light brown fluid had met the floor, he wetted the mop and began to scrub every drop of the warm puddle. Upon finishing his objective, he placed the mop in the bucket and plopped down the _wet floor _sign_. _

_"Yang stop pushing!"_

Dean turned his head toward the door. The windows were tinted to blot out excess sunlight that would plague the store on hot summer's days. Also, unlike most coffee shops, there was a small entryway with two sets of doors, one which led inside, one which led outside. On cloudy days like this one, the tinted windows would make it impossible to see anyone in the entryway.

_"I'm not pushing!"_

Making it difficult to screen incoming customers.

_"Can anyone reach the door handle?"_

_"I can't breath!"_

Good samaritan Dean decided that he should open the door and greet these new patrons. He reached for the handle only for the door to fly open and the entryway to spew out four young women and a mountain of luggage. First came a long-haired Blonde whom landed ungracefully on her face. Next, a gold-eyed young woman who managed to tuck and roll away from the collapse of the mountain. Thirdly came the Schnee heiress who was a surprise regular. And last came a red cloaked young brunette who fell off the suitcase mountain and bounced off the blonde. As she tried to acquire her footing, her feet met the cruel wet floor which robbed her of whatever resembled balance. She slipped, slid and crashed into the wooden cabinet that held the cash register. The staff soon deduced that these girls were probably huntresses in training when the red-clad girl slammed into the counter and let loose a miasma of roses from thin air._  
_

Janet; the girl who manned the cash register looked down at the young girl. She didn't know what to do so she fell back on her training, "Umm, h-w-what can I do for you?"

The red girl's eyes rolled around in her head like drunken tops. "Th-three coffees p-please..."

* * *

Their triumphant coffee-fueled return to Beacon left Yang disappointed. "Where's the fireworks? The confetti? The streamers?" She glared at the long stretch of walkway leading to the dormitory. "Where are all my adoring fans?"

"Probably in the same place you left the shirts that cover your entire chest." Weiss scoffed at the blonde turned luggage pack-mule.

Ruby smothered a giggle while an amused twinkle flashed in their fanaus friend's eye. Yang was hardly phased, "You forget one thing princess. Beacon is _really_ close to a cliff. It would be a shame if some of your stuff were to somehow accidentally _fall_."

White haired and wealthy was hardly amused by these implications. "Y-you wouldn't _dare_!"

"Accidents do happen princess." Yang replied, bursting through the dormitory door.

"Play nice you two." Blake commanded as she followed her team into the building.

They finally managed to drag all of their belongings up the stairs and back to the RWBY room. "Home sweet home!" Ruby exclaimed, pushing the door open after fumbling with her scroll to open the door.

Once the door opened, Yang promptly exploded. Throwing all cases and bags she'd been carrying all over the room. "You dolt! You realize you're going to have to clean these up, don't you?" As Weiss continued to berate her teammate, Yang opened the suitcase which contained her weapons and ammunition. "And furthermore-"

Yang stopped her right there, "Well Weiss, seeing as I brought up the most stuff, the least you can do is clean up. Cuz' i've got a list of return victims to fill!" Without waiting for a reply, Yang shoved the window open and leapt outside to the ground below.

Weiss opened her own weapons case and retrieved Myrtenaster and made for the window, only to be stopped by two hands on either of her shoulders. "Let her go Weiss. Better she use those gauntlets of hers on someone other than one of us." Weiss loudly exhaled in response as she watched her yellow comrade run for the arena.

Things settled down (mainly Weiss) and the trio of combatants set about unpacking once more. All three pitched in to clean up the mess that Yang had abruptly left in their hands. In about fifteen minutes, they had mostly finished, save for Ruby. Whom had insisted that she assist her teammates with unpacking.

"Ah, done at last!" Ruby sighed blissfully as she leapt onto her rickety bed.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Weiss attempted to lead her oblivious leader to her own conclusion. The notion was lost to the leader however.

"Huh?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and pointed to the trove of cases tucked away in the corner, "You haven't unpacked yet. Don't tell me you were so busy insisting on assisting us that you forgot about your own belongings."

Truth be told, Ruby had been hoping that Weiss hadn't noticed that she didn't unpack. "Sorry Weiss, i'll get to it in a little bit." Ruby attempted to weakly dodge the duty of unpacking. This only managed to spark one of Weiss's many dislikes; Procrastination.

"Fine, i'll unpack for you!" Weiss marched over to the stack of suitcases. These words lit a fire beneath Ruby, her mind screamed for action.

Ruby was out of the bed and barring the swordsman access to the cases in a flash. "Umm, N-no need! I got it!" Weiss didn't look too convinced, she instead narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to signify suspicion. Ruby noticed these actions, "Really Weiss, do whatever you have to do and i'll be done when you get back. I promise." These reassurances only deepened her teammate's suspicion. But, Weiss simply shook off the feeling, dismissing it as paranoia.

"Alright. Then I am going to take a shower. When I get out, there better not be a single case left out." She turned, moved across the room and entered the bathroom.

"What was that all about?" Ruby jumped a bit when she heard Blake speak from the shadowy corner of her bed.

"Oh Blake, You scared me!" Ruby drooped her head and placed a hand against her chest. Blake remained quiet as she waited for a response from her leader. "I-I just wanted to unpack my own stuff is all."

Blake's skepticism was halted by a message from her partner. "Excuse me Ruby. I just got a message from Yang."

An opportunity to change the subject should not be wasted, "What does it say?" Asked Ruby, stepping closer to her teammate to inspect the message for herself.

"_Four wins in a row! Come cheer me on Blakey_!" Blake read the message aloud and quickly wished she hadn't. Blake pressed reply and began to type _'No'_ when her red friend and teammate stopped her.

"Why not Blake? She obviously wants you with her, so why not be there for a friend?" Blake opened her mouth to speak, the bathroom shower then sounded instead. "Blake..." Ruby gazed at her teammate with huge silver eyes. Near forcing her comrade into action. With a nod, Blake stood and departed from the room. No doubt on her way to root for Yang in yet another fight.

Being basically alone, Ruby set about returning clothes, tools, and everyday necessities to their corresponding drawers and locations throughout the room. As more and more suitcases emptied, she knew that eventually she'd have to open _that_ one. Sliding the second to last suitcase into the closet, Ruby turned and looked at the last suitcase which she had set down on her partner's bed. With closed eyes for mental preparation, Ruby knelt next to her friend/partner/colleague's bed and opened the case. Inside lay one cloak, Crescent Rose, three magazines of high-velocity sniper-rifle ammunition, a variety of snacks which were left uneaten on their journey to that uncharted island, and one golden object which was wrapped in the aforementioned cloak. "Okay... Ooookay..." Ruby picked up Crescent Rose, gave her beloved sweetheart a hug and placed it on her bed. Then, she took all the remaining snacks and dumped them on Yang's bed, knowing that her sister would come looking for them anyway after she returned.

Ruby unwrapped her cloak and extracted the golden crown. The shining glow seemed to radiate off the crown even without sunlight. She looked at the mirror next to Yang's bed, which her sister used to admire herself. She couldn't help but wonder what she might look like wearing the crown. Originally, she planned this as a gift for Weiss. But there was no harm in trying it on for herself, right? Ruby positioned herself in front of the mirror and donned the shining crown and gazed at herself. Ruby felt _different_. Before she could figure out how exactly, the shower stopped. Ruby went into a short frenzy, she tossed the crown back into the suitcase, slammed the lid and stacked it in the closet with the rest. She jumped onto her bed and did her best to look occupied for Weiss's return.

The bathroom opened and out stepped Weiss, dressed in her usual combat attire. She quickly inspected the room, and found it acceptable. "Hey Weiss? Don't we need to give Ozpin our report on what we found on the island?"

"That is exactly what I plan to do." Weiss informed her leader as she collected the report she typed up on their return trip from the island.

"Can we stop and get something to eat first?" Ruby asked as she headed for the door and held it open for her partner.

"We?" Weiss was a little surprised that Ruby wanted to accompany her for a formality. This surprise and her own slight hunger caused her to agree. "Sure."

The duo took to the hall and began walking to the dorm exit. "So what're you going to have Weiss?"

"Just a salad, I think."

"I'm feeling steak."

"Steak? I've never known you to be a big fan of steak."

"I don't know, I just got a craving for a nice rare steak."


End file.
